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Known for her insight and ability to captivate audiences with emotional imagery of wildlife and conservation issues, Carrie Vonderhaar ’99 reflects the power of liberal arts at Wittenberg in her work as chief expedition photographer for Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society and a key character from the PBS television series "Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures."

About Her Work

The first woman to dive Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, off the northern California coast, on a closed-circuit rebreather, and the first woman to work with the Cousteau family as both a topside and underwater camera operator, Vonderhaar is one of the few people to have dived in and photographed all 13 U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries. She was also part of the first film team to dive in and document the massive oil plumes below the ocean’s surface from the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill disaster, bringing images of the underwater devastation to the public. Vonderhaar has studied at the Universite de Rennes 2, Haute Bretagne, France, Moscow State University and the well-known Brooks Institute of Photography. Most recently, she was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame for her contributions in the Arts and Conservation.

At Wittenberg

A political science, French and fine arts triple major at Wittenberg, Vonderhaar first became interested in photography while studying abroad in Europe during her college days. From there, she had the rare opportunity to study under renowned underwater photographer Cathy Church in the Grand Caymans, and by graduation, her interest had transformed into a passion, which has since resulted in a rewarding career.

“Being a Cousteau photographer means that you have to adapt to different situations and cultures,” Vonderhaar said. “The rewards are plentiful, and I live for the challenges.”

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Liberal Arts
​With An Edge

One of the “most motivating architects of Japan” is connected to Wittenberg. Shoei Yoh is a 1966 graduate, and his work beautifully illustrates the power of a Wittenberg liberal arts education. As one writer commented about Yoh, “Following his passions in response to the natural phenomena, we will find something that stimulates and invites us to consider the solution of certain unknowns, to travel unexplored paths, to discover something new, and to think differently.”

That same desire to explore outside clearly defined boundaries, to seek the new idea or the new path, and to “think differently” reflects the liberal arts at Wittenberg.